Islanders: getting back at it

Lou was never a man of excuses; he was a man of results. He will not give his players an excuse. He grades the results. That being said, Lou has all the tools in place. Lou's number one priority is to build around his core. For argument's sake, I believe the core is Centre Matthew Barzal, Goaltender Ilya Sorokin, Defenceman Noah Dobson, and the fourth and final piece, Centre Brock Nelson. These players are not going anywhere.

The Isles' younger players have a strong base. Leading the way is Oliver Wahlstrom, a power forward in the making. Everyone knows Aatu Ratty, a gifted playmaking centre the Isles stole in the second round. William Dufour is a powerful forward who likes getting dirty in the corners. He can snipe garbage goals with the best of them. There are plenty of other prospects; these are my top 3. 

The Isles need to get more out of their big guns for next season. A healthy Barzal really needs a sniper alongside him. He needs someone to dish the puck to Lou, who needs to address that issue this season. 

The Isles have plenty of cap room to go big game hunting in the off-season. If they decide to trade Varly, things could get even more interesting. 

I have watched Lou for many years. He will investigate every avenue possible to improve this team. So hold your heads up, Isles fans—there are reasons to be optimistic for next season. 

Randy

So is there a light ?

I have heard so many opinions on the Toronto Maple Leafs and their future. Most believe the Leafs should stay the course. We are close to where we should be. Matthews is an elite goal scorer in the NHL. He proved that this season with sixty goals. 

The two biggest trade chips are Nylander and Muzzin. Both players are assets that can bring cap relief for next season. 

With the salary cap not going up, the Leafs have a dilemma making the money fit. The Maple Leafs have four UFA's: Ilya Lyubushkin, Jason Spezza, Colin Blackwell, and of course, the Man—goaltender Jack Campbell. 

A few words on Campbell. If the Leafs fork out the money to sign him, which Campbell will we get? The early season version where he was lights out? The ugly Campbell who couldn't stop a beach ball? The Maple Leafs have to make sure they get the right Campbell or else go shopping for one in the off-season via a trade. 

With Gio's signing, the Maple Leafs solidify the defence a little more. But, the question remains: do they try to trade Justin Holl? Justin brings a lot to his game, including his penalty-killing skills. There have been a lot of complaints about his defensive blunders and puck handling skills. Don't get me wrong—I have been frustrated with his play at times, but what he brings might still be enough to keep him. The Leafs have plenty of young defence, including Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin. That will be an interesting area to look at in the off-season.   

Randy